Justice Dept. Official Steps Down

Published 7:00 pm, Thursday, September 26, 2002

WASHINGTON (AP) _ Associate Attorney General Jay Stephens is stepping down less than a year after taking the job as the No. 3 official at the Justice Department, the agency said Friday.

Stephens, who oversees divisions dealing with civil cases, taxes, antitrust matters and environmental and natural resources issues, will become senior vice president and general counsel at defense contractor Raytheon Corp.

As U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia more than a decade ago, Stephens coordinated the undercover operation that resulted in the conviction on a misdemeanor drug charge of Washington Mayor Marion Barry, who served six months in prison.

Stephens's government career goes back to the Reagan administration, when he served as deputy White House counsel.

When former President Clinton's investment in the Whitewater real estate deal was investigated, a unit of the Treasury Department hired Stephens to handle possible civil claims arising from the failure of the Arkansas savings and loan owned by the business partners of Clinton and then-first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton. The appointment created a controversy after the Clinton White House's behind-the-scenes complaints about Stephens's appointment were publicly revealed.

Stephens was appointed associate attorney general last November. He starts his new job Oct. 7.